What are you guys saying to programs that are NOT your #1?

[MachoManRandySavage]

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I know that in various forms this topic has been discussed. But I have what I believe is a somewhat unique scenario. I'm curious what you all would do, given the following:

A PD asks all applicants at the end of interview day to "get back to me soon and write an email or a thank you note or something to me..." PD goes on to say that, "you don't have to get back to me right away, but sometime within the next few days or weeks, you should just reach out and say thanks, at least to the PD…," adding, "I'm not necessarily saying you have to write to everyone who interviewed with you, but you should at least write to the PD."

Yes, the PD is referring to self in the third person. What is perplexing to me about this, beyond the mere idiosyncrasies of the PD, is the position that I am now put in as applicant. The director is forcing me to write to them, though not violating a rule by explicitly requesting ranking information. However, when the PD receives my thank-you message, I must assume they are primarily interested in how I intend to rank them. If I say, for instance, "I intend to rank you highly" (even at this point in the season where I ought to be able to punt my decision because I've only done a quarter of my scheduled interviews), I am implying that I am not convinced that this particular program will necessarily be the best one I encounter. As humans, I think we can empathize with that experience of wanting choice, but unfortunately the politics of the match are not so fair. I'm legitimately stumped about the best approach to this one. Just thanking the person at face value and not even discussing rank-- is that even an option?

What do you guys think? How do you convey anything short of, "I love you and your my #1!"? I was hoping to avoid getting too entangled in the PD tango 🙁

-RS

 

[Ψ-117]

I'd just thank them for the opportunity to visit and give them reasons why you'd love to be there. I don't think referring to how you'll rank them is necessary. It's probably a good practice to write the PDs everywhere you visit anyway.

 

[darkhope]

I visited same program, PD was great and nice, you misunderstood, he said its nice to send thank you notes, that's all

 

[wolfvgang22]

People talking in the third person always reminds me of this classic scene. 🙂

 

[J ROD]

everybody's your #1 at this point.

 

[FlowRate]

I haven't been sending thank-yous. This is making me rethink that (un-)strategy.

 

[jthedestroyr]

I haven't been sending thank-yous. This is making me rethink that (un-)strategy.

The one program I didn't send thank you letters, I matched at, yet the one that I sent a letter too and gave me flowery response I did not. N=1 but food for thought.

 

[DuskPhilosophy]

I haven't been sending thank-yous. This is making me rethink that (un-)strategy.

I was going to wait until late January and send out a few "thanks for having me" to the lower ranking programs and a few "With interview season coming to an end I am positive your program is the best fit for me" to my top 3 or so. At least thats what I like to tell my lazy self.

 

[splik]

I think you are overthinking it. Really it is common courtesy to send thank you notes/emails to people you interviewed with for taking the time to do so. I sent thank you emails to programs I didn't even rank. It's being polite. At this point no one is going to put any stock into where you plan to rank them as its too early and they would be incredibly stupid if they did. Also it is a match violation for programs to ask you where you plan to rank them.

I wonder if the reason the PD said this because it seems to be dying. I used to receive a lot more thank you cards/emails in just a few years ago and it has diminished each year. I have to say I think it comes off as rude to not do given so and I wasn't even raised this way.

Applicants appear to forget the people interviewing you are busy physicians who have multiple other responsibilities including patient care, research, and teaching. For residents, interviewing an applicant might also mean having to stay late to finish notes or cancelling clinical, for faculty it could affect their productivity bonuses, or less time for documentation etc. And although program directors have the job of doing this, they spend the other 9 months of the year with same responsibilities of actually running the program and dealing with wayward residents and faculty and now have the added responsibility of having to interview applicants and find people to interview them, as well as getting hundreds of additional emails including from people who are never going to get an interview there. It's thankless work and it doesn't seem to much to hope that someone might appreciate what you are doing.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

I've said this before, but a simple "Thanks for having me" email is plenty.

(I was going through a pile of papers on my desk to get ready for interviews this year, and found last year's stack of thank you cards--off they went off into the recycle bin. Hope folks didn't spend too much on Hallmark...)

 

[Leo Aquarius]

I wouldn't wait until later in the season to send thank-yous. We have application meetings regularly, and once we discuss you that's it, on to the next applicant.

 

[deleted398564]

Are these thank yous via email or actual physical letters?